put them there." Next season Wade left to coach Alabama and was replaced by former tackle Josh Cody. The 1923 Commodores won Vanderbilt's last conference title in football to-date. Lynn Bomar was consensus All-American. 1924–1934 Sportswriter Fred Russell dubbed the 1924 season "the most eventful in the history of Vanderbilt football", featuring wins over Georgia Tech and Minnesota, as well as losses such as to Sewanee. End Hek Wakefield was consensus All-American, and beat Georgia Tech 3–0 with a 37-yard drop-kick field goal. He was considered the greatest drop kicker in school history. The 1925 Commodores saw the first year of running back Bill Spears. The 1926 team suffered its only loss to Wade's national champion Alabama team. In 1927, Spears posted multiple passing records and halfback Jimmy Armistead led the nation in scoring. After the 32–0 defeat of Bernie Bierman's Tulane Green Wave that year, Bierman thought of ditching his single-wingback formation. McGugin convinced him to keep it. Along with Spears and Armistead, end Larry Creson was All-Southern. Armistead took Spears' spot at quarterback in 1928 and was second-team All-Southern. Vanderbilt suffered only two losses – both to undefeated teams: Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Guard Bull Brown was All-American in 1929. The 1930 team beat Minnesota. Center Pete Gracey told this story about McGugin in 1930: "In my first varsity year, the night before we played Georgia Tech, Coach McGugin casually walked up to me in the lobby of our hotel, put his arm around my shoulder and sorta whispered, "I was with some Atlanta newspapermen this afternoon and I told them you were the finest sophomore center I had ever coached. I hope that I haven't made it embarrassing for you" We beat Tech, 49 to 7. Afterward I talked to seven other players and you know, Coach McGugin told them all the same thing he told me." The 1931 team beat Ohio State, but lost four other games. Pete Gracey was a consensus All-American in 1932. The Commodores and rival Volunteers fought to a scoreless tie. "Considering that we lost such a valuable player as Pete Gracey so early in the game, I thought that Vanderbilt was very fortunate in getting out with a tie" said McGugin. Following the 1932 season, Vanderbilt joined the other SoCon schools south and west of the Appalachians in founding the Southeastern Conference. The 1933 team lost three and tied three, the